When you're working up a sweat, water-wicking fitness clothes that absorb moisture keep you cool and comfortable. Lots of activewear brands make these claims, but do their promises hold water?

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We tested 37 activewear garments that make sweat-management claims (such as "moisture-wicking"), using an absorbency tester.

How It Works:

We release a droplet of water onto the fabric. If it soaks in and spreads quickly, it's a sign that clothing will dissipate sweat well, so it passes; if water sits on top of the fabric and isn't absorbed, the activewear fails.

The Results:

We found five garments flat-out flunked. Water just beaded up on the nylon-poly Lululemon Swiftly Tech SS T-shirt ($58), the cotton-poly Athleta Teelicious Deep V Tee ($36), Everlast's nylon-spandex Capri-Length Sweat Pants ($32) and nylon-poly-spandex Seamless Tank Top ($30), and the poly-spandex back panel and inseam of REI Venturi Short ($59.50). Another poor absorber: the nylon-spandex Jockey Sport Performance Workout Crop Pant ($55). Wear any of these while working out, and you'll likely end up feeling sweaty and soggy.

Our Recommendations:

Bring along a water bottle when shopping so you can discreetly squeeze a droplet of water onto a garment you want to purchase — if it beads up, take a pass. (Or, buy the item and do this at home, then return if it doesn't absorb.)When trying on fitness clothing, move around (walk, do jumping jacks, try out a yoga pose, etc.) to be sure the fit isn't too snug and the seams won't chafe.

These garments absorbed water and spread it quickly in our moisture tests. The water also evaporated rapidly, which will help keep you cool and dry. These are definitely the workout clothes to look for to keep you cool and comfy for everything from minor to strenuous workouts like running, aerobics, and hot yoga.

Moving Comfort Talent Tank ($32)

REI Cap Sleeve Venturi T-shirt ($44.50)

Marika Tek Short Sleeve Dry Wik Tee ($20)

Callaway Women's Snap Polo ($56)

Kohl's Tek Gear Geometric Performance Tee ($22)

Champion Double Dry Training V-neck Women's T-shirt ($22)

Reebok Easy Tone Short Sleeve Top ($55)

Nike Dri-Fit Cotton Tee ($25)

Jockey Active Crop Pant ($55)

C9 by Champion for Target Running Tank ($10)

Jockey Seamless Tank Top ($32)

As our tests showed, these won't wick or evaporate as speedily as those above. Some took forever to absorb liquid in our tests, while others kept it concentrated in certain areas or were slow to dry out. While we recommend looking for better sweat-wicking fabrics, these will still do if you're a light sweater or are engaged in less strenuous activities like walking or a casual bike ride.

While these didn't fail our moisture-management test, they didn't do all that well, either. Likely they were able to accomplish one task — either absorbing, spreading, or evaporating water — but weren't successful at completely wicking away moisture. We can't recommend these fabrics for workouts, though they may be fine to wear if you're doing an activity where you won't be sweating.